So, I was curious the other day about this on a long drive home. I looked up the numbers of US soldiers historically. Generally it appears that prior to WW2 there were ~500,000 enlisted servicemen. Then, we enter the war and there is a spike of over 12 million. After the war it steadily drops, with slight spikes during Korean, Vietnam, Gulf War, etc; but nowhere near the same numbers.

Looking into the number of drafted men during the war, I found that the number of men who enlisted on their own was still enormous comparatively.

I distinctly remember one of my grandparents telling me how disappointed he was when he went to enlist and was turned away due to a heart issue.

To me, it really strikes me as odd that so many men would have signed up for war. According to all accounts retold during High School history lessons, the US citizenry was opposed to even entering the war until Pearl Harbor. And, from my understanding, the allied forces had little idea of the atrocities going on with concentration camps.

So, if they're not aware of the atrocities, then they aren't joining to help stop them.

After 9/11, you can see a tiny rise in the number of servicemen.

I could easily be wrong, but would Pearl Harbor be enough for millions to enlist? It seems doubtful when compared to 9/11 numbers.

So, why did so many want to help in the war effort? What is different about us now that you don't see people lining up to join Americas wars?